Working as a maid can hardly be called a dream job. But from the outside it seems that there is nothing particularly difficult in it: go to yourself, get out slowly. Housing with food is provided, at the sea after work, run at least every day if you work at a resort. Everything is not so rosy at all.
Dirty job
A typical hotel maid’s job is not “brushing light dust off polished tables, remaking the bed, collecting towels, and putting fresh flowers in a vase”. It’s about “sweeping trampled floors and trashed toilets, clearing soiled sheets from beds, picking up used diapers all over the room, and shoveling out a bunch of bottles after parties.” And from time to time to listen that everything was done poorly, slowly or not when it was necessary.
Tough work
Constantly in a bent position, heavy piles of laundry, a large number of rooms that need to be cleaned super-fast and crystal clean, sometimes up to 25 per shift. The need to endlessly move furniture, work with caustic chemicals, and the lack of sufficient breaks between “approaches”. Monotone. All this is so hard that some do not even stand the probationary period.
Low wages and rare tips
Most vacationers are used to the fact that only waiters need to leave a tip. Perhaps if tourists knew how much maids get for their Titanic work, they would think differently.
In some hotels, tips for maids should be left in special envelopes. In general, it is better to give money personally to employees.
Ugly attitude
The maids openly say that some guests treat them like empty places. They do not look into the eyes, they talk through their teeth or yell, they find fault, and they demand something. Not the best attitude on the part of the authorities: senior maids and managers can also raise their voices, insult, and unreasonably fine (for example, “for the company”, if they do not know the real culprit of the misconduct).
In addition, maids are often not allowed to use the main entrance, their “staff rooms” are usually cramped and poorly equipped. And they often become victims of harassment abroad.
Lots of stress
In many ways, it gives rise to the ugly attitude of guests and managers. This is superimposed by a constant feeling of lack of time for a full-fledged cleaning, fear of being accused (or even accusations) of theft, lack of free time, and staff turnover, which increases the volume of work.